[Pathological gambling induced by dopamine agonists]
Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 30, 2026

Comprehensive Profiling of Dopamine Regulation in Substantia Nigra and Ventral Tegmental Area
Published on: August 10, 2012
M Gahr1, B J Connemann, C J Schönfeldt-Lecuona
1Klinik für Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie III, Universitätsklinikum Ulm. maximilian.gahr@uni-ulm.de
Abstract:
Problems with impulse control and pathological gambling are known as possible side effects of dopaminergic therapy in patients with Parkinson's disease. We report 2 cases of pathological gambling induced by dopamine agonists in patients without Parkinson's disease. The first patient, a 46-year-old man, was treated with ropinirole for restless legs syndrome and had lost huge amounts of money in the context of internet-based poker game. Another 46-year-old male patient developed pathological gambling under treatment with cabergoline administered for prolactinoma. The two cases implicate pathological gambling as a possible consequence of dopaminergic treatment and support the increasing evidence regarding pathological gambling as an adverse drug reaction of dopaminergic treatment, also in patients who do not suffer from Parkinson's disease.
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